- PM launched celebrations marking Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati’s 200th birthday.
- Dayanand Saraswati (born Mool Shankar Tiwari) was a religious leader and the founder of the Arya Samaj, a nineteenth-century reform movement.
- He was an expert in Vedic lore and the Sanskrit language.
- Dayanand was a great scholar who knew the Vedas and Upanishads inside and out.
- He also had knowledge of Sanskrit grammar, philosophy, religion, politics, and other sciences.
Notable works
(1) Literary works
- He wrote several books, including the Satyarth Prakash, which became the Arya Samaj’s moral and spiritual foundation.
- Many languages, including Hindi, English, and Urdu, have been translated into this book.
(2) Freedom movement
- In 1876, he was the first to call for Swaraj as “Indian for India,” a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak.
- S. Radhakrishnan, India’s philosopher and President, later referred to him as one of the “makers of Modern India,” as did Sri Aurobindo.
(3) Religious reform
- He worked to revive Vedic ideologies while condemning the idolatry and ritualistic worship prevalent in Hinduism at the time.
- He believed that the Vedas should be interpreted using logic rather than blind faith.
- He also advocated against animal sacrifice and idol worship.
(4) Social reform
- Dayanand was a strong supporter of women’s rights.
- He advocated for the abolition of the caste system and believed in the equality of all human beings.
(5) Education
- Dayanand was a firm believer in the power of education and knowledge.
- He established the Gurukul educational system, which provided free education to all, regardless of caste or gender.
- Based on his teachings, the first DAV School was established in Lahore in 1885, which was later upgraded to become the first DAV College.
- The DAV College Trust and Management Society was formed and registered in 1886.
Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1898470